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SCUTTLEBUTT 3613 - Friday, June 15, 2012Scuttlebutt is published each weekday with the support of its sponsors,providing a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus. Website: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/scuttbutt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingscuttlebutt RSS: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/rss/index.xml Today's sponsors: The Pirates Lair and Harken. RECORDS AT RISK IN BERMUDA ROMP Newport, RI (June 14, 2012) - On the eve of the 635 nm Newport to Bermuda Race, skippers, navigators and crews are talking about breaking records. Chris Branning, navigator of Mark Watson's Team Tiburon, said last evening, "I think we'll break the record... but someone else will set the record." Mark Watson joked, "Finishing so early will really hurt my bar tab at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Bar, but I'll be able to spend more time with my family in Bermuda." Sunday is Father's Day. This is setting up as a big boat race if conditions evolve as predicted. Winds at the start on Friday are predicted to be 10-15 kts from the northeast, maybe a spinnaker start for the first time since 2002. Winds should build down the course and across the Gulf Stream then lighten around Bermuda's "Happy Valley" on Sunday. The smaller, slower boats may have a tough time clawing down the course as the breeze lightens and shifts to the south. The Newport Bermuda Race has two records, one for Open Division boats at 48hr, 28min, 31sec set by Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory in 2004 and the 'official' record for traditional designs set by Roy Disney's 75 foot Pyewacket is at 53hr, 39 min 22 sec. Branning said they had run their race routing program Thursday afternoon and Bermuda's Team Tiburon, a Reichel/Pugh 74 (former Bella Mente) should finish around 0900 hrs on Sunday, covering the course in about 42 hours. He guessed that George David's Rambler would be the pacesetter. Rambler, a Reichel/Pugh 90 from Hartford CT, is the largest boat in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division, water ballasted but grandfathered in before movable ballast boats were moved into the Open Division. Branning said, "A windy reach or a run are Rambler's points of sail. She will load the ballast tanks and blast on to Bermuda." "If the weather sets up as predicted, Rambler should beat us by three hours." Branning estimated. That would put them at St. David's Lighthouse at Bermuda around 0600 setting a new traditional record of close to 39 hours. -- Read on: http://www.covarimail.com/view.lasso?id1=1184&id2=755094 GEAR: This comes from Stuart Streuli at Sailing World: "If you've done a few hundred nautical miles in the same pair of damp, crusty underwear - the offshore sailor's version of walking a mile in his shoes - then you know precisely why I was so excited when a non-sailing friend send me a link to a story about a male grooming product called Fresh Balls (if you think that's a little cheeky, the name of the company that produces it is Happy Junk, LLC). -- Read on: http://www.sailingworld.com/racing/bermuda-bound HPR TAKES HUGE STEP FORWARD Newport, RI (June 14, 2012) - The High Performance Rule (HPR) announces that by unanimous vote of its Board members, the Offshore Racing Association (ORA) has agreed to take ownership of HPR. The move is an important organizational milestone for HPR, a rating rule concept whose development was first facilitated by the New York YC's Handicap Rules Committee in 2010. ORA's role becomes similar to what it does for the Offshore Rating Rule (ORR), which is used in the major offshore races in the US: act as an entity that gives rule and policy guidance through existing HPR technical committees, form a new HPR steering committee (the HPR Advisory Board), and manage relations with selected international authorities for its role as a rule administrator and licensor. Currently US Sailing and the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) are the first rating authorities to be licensed to govern administration of the rule. "This move is a huge step forward in moving HPR from a rating rule 'concept' to a rating rule reality," said Steve Benjamin, the Chairman of the NYYC Handicap Rules Committee and a fervent promoter of HPR. "While the HPR technical staff is still fine-tuning the rule, it now gives us the ability to formalize the process of issuing rules, creating measurement standards, and issuing certificates through US Sailing and ORC." For ORA the adoption of HPR means extending their reach more towards the Grand Prix level of the offshore racing fleet. -- Read on: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=14000 WORLD FAMOUS 999 SALE NOW AT THE PIRATES LAIR! Ok, so it's not that famous, but if you want great deals on regatta tees, technical stuff, and Mount Gay Rum goodies... log on to http://www.pirateslair.com/SFNT.html and help make the 999 sale world famous! GRIP IT AND RIP IT (July 14, 2012; Day 5) - In an adrenaline-filled day in the North Atlantic, Telefonica has dealt with damage to their starboard rudder that dropped them to fourth place, only to later regain the lead, but the latest sked indicates a significant drop in speed and position. No reports to explain the situation were available at press time. CAMPER had today logged the fastest 24 hour mark of the race - a distance of 565.82 nm. "We're seriously on the edge," Camper navigator Will Oxley said of the downwind conditions. "It's very hard work, everything's maximum load, and we're just hanging on. We're still waiting for the low pressure, the barometer has dropped about 20 millibars in 24 hours - which is a pretty significant drop - and we are expecting tonight to be probably one of the windiest nights of the race." Franck Cammas and his crew on board Groupama are still struggling with the mainsail headboard car, which jammed at the top of the mast Wednesday. Bowman Brad Marsh managed to install another car so that the crew could shorten sail to two reefs. "We will see how things go on Friday morning when we try to shake a reef because right now, the profile of the mainsail doesn't look great," said skipper Franck Cammas. In full darkness, with the storm peaking near 50 knots, the teams made the critical gybe that will take them into Lorient. With the finish now in their headlights, there is little left to do but grip it and rip it. The winner is expected to arrive on Friday at around 1000 GMT. -- Event media Leg 8 - Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France (1,940 nm) Standings as of Friday, 15 June 2012, 0:01:32 UTC 1. Groupama 4 (FRA), Frank Cammas (FRA), 247.7 nm Distance to Finish 2. CAMPER (NZL), Chris Nicholson (AUS), 14.5 nm Distance to Lead 3. PUMA Ocean Racing (USA), Ken Read (USA), 20.5 nm DTL 4. Telefonica (ESP), Iker Martinez (ESP), 21.0 nm DTL 5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (UAE), Ian Walker (GBR), 24.6 nm DTL 6. Team Sanya (CHN), Mike Sanderson (NZL), 95.2 nm DTL Tracker/Standings: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/racetracker/rdc.html Schedule: http://tinyurl.com/VOR-2011-12-schedule Video reports: http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanracevideos BACKGROUND: During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started in Alicante, Spain (Oct. 29) and concludes in Galway, Ireland during early July 2012, six professional teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles around the world via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajai, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient. Teams accumulate points through nine distance legs and ten In-Port races. - http://www.volvooceanrace.com STOP TELLING US HOW GOOD YOU ARE By George Morris, sailing enthusiast I have just watched the latest episode of AC Uncovered. Now, I am a huge fan of the AC World Series, and am prepared the give the AC72s a fair chance, so why does the AC publicity team spend so much time shouting at me, telling me how wonderful it all is? The constant assurances that this is a 'young man's game' and represents the new generation and requires super-athleticism ring a bit hollow as a series of fifty year olds are paraded in front of the cameras. I'm sure Loick and Russell are as hard as nails but young they are not. And the next shot of half a dozen catamarans doing a lot less than half a knot in a raft-up at the leeward mark was described as 'exciting'. Fascinating, certainly, but 'exciting'? And the constant assurances that thousands of people are enjoying the spectacle. Well, perhaps, but while there were certainly a lot of people on the promenade in Venice watching the boats, there were just as many in the background wandering round a neighboring square not watching the boats. And all those synthetic prize givings and meet-the-crews events attended only by the press and families and shore crews. I know the bills have to be paid but I think they should stop trying quite so hard. The Volvo Miami non-event was counterproductive, and the WMRT event in Korea with rows of inscrutable men in suits and dark glasses staring uncomprehendingly at the proceedings summed up the gulf between sailing and real spectator sports. And then there is Richard Simmons' commentary on the Extreme 40s in which he regularly wets himself with excitement every time one of the boats lifts a hull. The community that watches AC Uncovered and the Volvo and the X40s and the WMRT is quite small (look at the stats for number of hits) and we are quite an intimate group. So to the producers of these events I would say this: You have successfully created an atmosphere in which we feel we know you quite well. Now stop telling us how good you are - let us be the judges of that. You may be pleasantly surprised! OLYMPIC RIVALS HAVE HEATED ARGUMENT IN PUB What better way to create interest in the Olympic sailing events than to share some unvarnished truths. In the Olympic singlehanded event, competition among Laser sailors is as close to combat as sailing gets. And behind the well scripted sound bites of athletes are people that get pissed off. The Metro is reporting how Olympic sailing champion Paul Goodison had a 'heated argument in the pub' with world champion Tom Slingsby after the Weymouth pre-Olympic regatta last week. Here may be an early taste of next month's coverage... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- British Laser class champion Goodison, and Australian Slingsby, are major contenders for medals at London 2012 and also fierce rivals. Goodison missed out on a medal in Saturday's Skandia Sail for Gold event over the Olympic course at Weymouth, and afterwards complained that Slingsby's Australian team-mate Tom Burton had deliberately blocked him - a move which saw Goodison finish outside the medals - adding 'he won't have his mates out there to help him next time'. 'We met each other in the pub and had a quite heated argument on the evening after the medal race,' confirmed Goodison, who admitted that the pair used to be good friends but as the Games approached, their relationship had 'slid'. 'We were both there, and I guess it needed to be said between us. 'It was good to get thoughts out in the open and to have it out. We both understand each other are big threats at the Games.' Goodison admitted his own mistakes had contributed to his failure to win a medal, and that 'covering', as the manouevre is known, was not against the rules, but he still felt annoyed about what had happened. Read more: http://tinyurl.com/Metro-061412 ON THE OLYMPIC TRAIL - AMANDA CLARK US Olympic 470 skipper Amanda Clark shares her thoughts on coaching, her transition to doublehanded sailing, and the future of the 470. Check out this latest addition to the Harken/McLube interview series with the US Olympic Sailing Team at http://www.harken.com/Interviews/AmandaClark-470.php SAILING SHORTS * American Yacht Club in Rye, NY hosted 48 women at the first annual Women's Invitational Team Race Regatta (WITR`12). Eight clubs fielded teams of six women from St. Francis Yacht Club, Southern Yacht Club, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club, Seawanhaka Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club and American Yacht Club. The two day event on June 9-10, held in Ideal 18s, is believed to be the first open all-women's Team Race event in the U.S. -- Full report: http://forum.sailingscuttlebutt.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=13998 * Dartmouth, England (June 14, 2012) - The four races completed today for the 76 competing teams at The MIQ Logistics 2012 J/80 World Championship Powered by SLAM, the penultimate day of the regatta, were sailed in lumpy seas and building breeze which topped out at 20 knots. Spaniard Jose Maria van der Ploeg remains in the lead but Rayco Tabares of the Canary Islands, who won the J/80 World Championship in 2010, has pushed through to second place just 5 points behind. The two final races are scheduled for Friday. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/J80-061412 * The housing market is showing signs of revival, a Harvard research center says, and that could be good news for the boating industry because some experts say it will take a housing rebound to kick-start a more robust recovery in luxury sectors such as boats. -- Soundings Trade Only, read on: http://tinyurl.com/STO-061412 PHOTOS OF THE WEEK Some of the random photos from the sport received this week at Scuttlebutt include rainbows, high elevation, aiming upwind, hiking hard, monuments, toasting, and a big rig. Here are this week's photos: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0615/ * In 1845, nine yachts gathered off the New York Yacht Club's first clubhouse in Hoboken, New Jersey to compete in the first running of what then became the Annual Regatta. The oldest and longest running regatta in America, New York Yacht Club's Annual Regatta presented by Rolex was held for the 158th time on June 8-10 in Newport, Rhode Island. Photos courtesy of Billy Black: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/12/0614/ SEND US YOUR PHOTOS: If you have images to share for the Photos of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com VIDEO OF THE WEEK In 1845, nine yachts gathered off the New York Yacht Club's first clubhouse in Hoboken, New Jersey to compete in the first running of what then became the Annual Regatta. The oldest and longest running regatta in America, New York Yacht Club's Annual Regatta presented by Rolex was held for the 158th time on June 8-10 in Newport, Rhode Island. T2PTV produced a music video of the best shots from this year's event - shot from power boat, onboard, on shore and via Go Pro. To view this video and all the daily highlights: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/12/0615/ Bonus Videos: * This week on America's Cup Uncovered Episode 43, we travel to the historic, deep water seaport of Newport, RI, which for 53 years was the home of the America's Cup. The legendary J Class raced three Cups there in the 1930s. After World War II, the 12 meters raced eight Cup matches there until Australia II ended America's 132-year winning streak in 1983. Excellent archival footage of both the Js and the 12s brilliantly documents the boats and the characters - the romance and intense competition - of that bygone era. With Newport closing out the first season of the AC World Series on June 28-July 1, the show reviews the eight AC45 teams competing for the title. Tune in on June 16 at approx 0800 PDT 1600 BST; http://www.youtube.com/americascup * In the June 15 "World on Water" Global Sailing News Report Ben and Robert each win Silver in the Skandia Sail for Gold, Weymouth, UK, the Giraglia Rolex Cup Starts in Saint Tropez, France, The Samui Regatta, Thailand, Act 3 Extreme Sailing Series Istanbul, Turkey, Volvo Ocean Race Lisbon In-Port Race and Leg 8 Start, Portugal and in our "Action" segment, "Fresh to Frightening", see Ben take a swim, the Kiwi's crash on the finish line, Lucy have a close shave and Ian crash into Roman in Istanbul. See it on http://www.boatson.tv or download the "boatsontv" app and view it on your "smart" phone/tablet anywhere anytime. SEND US YOUR VIDEOS: If you have clips to share for the Video of the Week, send them to the Scuttlebutt editor: mailto:editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. Either submit comments by email or post them on the Forum. Submitted comments chosen to be published in the newsletter may be limited to 250 words. Authors may have one published submission per subject, and should save their bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. Email: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com Forum: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Alex Arnold: Reading Andrew Hurst's piece (in Scuttlebutt 3612) reminds me of Mark Twain's quote "The secret of success is to make your vocation your vacation". * From Eric Sorensen: As a deputized 4th estater, I put forth my declaration that I would be happy to sail on an AC72 in San Diego or Seattle, but would quail at the thought of leaving St Francis YC after noon any day. More competition in the AC is a good thing as Kimball Livingston suggested (in Scuttlebutt 3612). However, having a bunch of old dudes out on a danger machine like this batch of upcoming hotrods (can you say AC72 and not tremble?) on the water is like having my dog drive my wife's sports car at the race track with another bunch of Ferraris going full tilt. * From Ed Crouch: As skippers and sailors prepare for the start of the Bermuda Race on Friday, this Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on the Man Overboard drowning of the skipper of Lion during the 2011 Morgan Cup Race may be a worthwhile read. In light of the several tragedies experienced in ocean racing recently, the report is another example of how things can go sideways, and it explores some safety gear and procedures that probably warrant further review by each person who is involved in sailing. I'm no Monday morning quarterback, however, in my humble view there is at least one additional element that could reasonably be added to the MAIB's conclusions. Given the conditions, another crew member could/should have remained on deck, forward with the skipper, until he returned to a safer place. While it is unknowable whether this could have prevented the MOB or the outcome, it is certainly possible that the MOB could have been instantly communicated to the driver and trimmer(s), and those few moments could have been the difference. The report can be read here: http://www.pbo.co.uk/fileBank/PDF/lion_maib_report2.pdf * From Bruce Thompson: I reviewed the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report regarding a fatal Man Overboard (MOB) accident, where at 0036 on 18 June 2011 the skipper of a 38-foot yacht fell overboard and drowned while still attached to the yacht by means of a tether connected to his lifejacket. It seems the man involved fell overboard while the boat was on starboard tack, presumably heeling a great deal in 25-30 knot winds. He was dragged through the water for 16 minutes before the crew was able to get him back aboard. The crew was admittedly poorly trained in dealing with an MOB situation and it was the skipper who went over. So those left aboard were unprepared for the situation they faced. This could happen here, so my advice to anyone who finds himself in a similar situation is to not just slow the boat, but to TACK. What had been the leeward side will then become the windward side and the MOB will be pulled back out of the water by the thether. That will ensure he does not drown and will assist in getting him back aboard as much of his body weight will be supported by the boat's topsides. CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION "Never go to bed angry... stay up late and plot your revenge." - Maxine SPONSORS THIS WEEK BIC Sport North America - Team One Newport - Atlantis WeatherGear Gowrie Group - Pure Yachting - APS - North Sails - Soft Deck Ullman Sails - The Pirates Lair - Harken Need stuff? 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